Jan 9 2020 2 Timothy 2: 20-26

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all.

This morning’s reflection is about the foolish and ignorant disputes that arise in market places while traveling to impoverished countries. Frequently, vendors will jack up the prices when they see people they think have more money, and there is a bit of a game that goes on, to barter down prices. The counsel of the pre-trip meditation is to think twice before bartering with someone who’s standard of living is so vastly different than ours. What does that extra $5 buy me, compared to the vendor? One less latte for me, food for a week for them?

This is a good reminder, that we are God’s agents the whole time we’re travelling. I would not want to be perceived as argumentative or petty to the vendors there, or the airline attendants on the way.

I’m reminded of a trip to China I took, about 15 years ago. I was in the market and wanted to buy some scarves or shawls. There were some big wool shawls that were seemingly expensive, and a little further down, there were some silkish shawls that were a lot cheaper. I liked the wool ones better, but they were nearly twice the price. So I bought a dozen of the kinds I didn’t love, and two of the ones I really liked. Upon returning, I had 12 shawls, of which 2 I liked. Hmm. And upon further reflection, I realized that given the exchange rate, the cheaper shawls were $2, and the expensive once were $4. My decision to save money seemed absurd, now that I was back, and had a dozen shawls I didn’t really like, but boy, were they cheap! Since then, I’ve not skimped the souvenirs, or at least I didn’t buy things that were cheap but unloved.

Do not engage in ignorant or foolish quarrels. This advice from Paul has so much application in my world, well beyond bartering in the market. It seems like I’m just beginning to take this to heart, as there have been decades of my life where there was no battle that was not worth fighting. Now, there are plenty that aren’t worth it at all. For one thing, I have less energy to engage in dumb fights. More importantly, I’ve begun to realize that sometimes the victory isn’t worth the casualties.

This morning, I’m thinking about how to discern a foolish quarrel versus a worthy quarrel. Maybe it’s all about what the battle is over, and for whom is it is being fought. That level of awareness requires paying attention to those things before engaging, which in turn requires a pause before engaging. Today, I want to intentionally build in that time to pause before engaging in any quarrel – foolish or worthy.